Insights from the evaluation of the Yizani Sifunde project
At a glance
This was a collaborative early literacy initiative implemented in Eastern Cape ECD centres, and involving Book Dash, Nal’ibali, Wordworks, and local NGOs.The evaluation validated the effectiveness of the Little Stars programme and the value of a multi-partner model supporting practitioners, providing high-quality resources, and engaging caregivers.
Authors
The external evaluation was conducted by Dr Tara Polzer Ngwato, Tendayi Zhou and Lebogang Shilakoe from Social Impact Insights Africa.
The summary infographic was produced by Katie Huston with graphic design by www.skyboydesign.com. The learning briefs were written by Dr Magali von Blottnitz with input from other project partners. Katie Huston and Sky Boy Design did the editing and graphic design.
Dates of fieldwork
2023
Evaluation Approach
Quantitative & Qualitative
Main findings
The findings highlight the impact of the multi-partner approach, with Book Dash, Nal’ibali and Wordworks collaborating to provide high-quality resources, train ECD practitioners and engage caregivers. Practitioners reported increased confidence in delivering literacy-rich activities, and children showed greater engagement with books and storytelling. ELOM assessments recorded significant learning gains, with children achieving 3,8 to 6 months of additional progress beyond expected maturation, while those who started far behind caught up by as much as 13 months. The evaluation also noted moderate improvements in learning environments and teaching quality, with structured learning programmes proving most effective. Key recommendations include strengthening parental involvement, enhancing practitioner training in emergent writing, and increasing community participation in reading clubs to sustain and expand the programme’s impact.
Holistic, effective and innovative: Insights from the collaborative Yizani Sifunde early literacy project
The infographic summary shows in an overview form the main features of the project, its reach, the findings of the evaluation and other key lessons learned from the project.
Learning Brief 1: Project Design and Adaptation
This learning brief describes the project design and explains how a midline review resulted in some tweaks in the initial design of the project.
Learning Brief 2: Collaboration
This is the second in a series of learning briefs that explore the design, implementation and impact of the Yizani Sifunde intervention designed to boost early literacy outcomes in 4- and 5-year-olds.
This brief focuses on:
• the experience of the collaboration; and
• the factors and practices that made it successful.
Learning Brief 3: Child Outcomes
This is the third in a series of learning briefs that explore the design, implementation and impact of the Yizani Sifunde intervention designed to boost early literacy outcomes in 4- and 5-year-olds. This brief summarises the quantitative evidence on how the Yizani Sifunde closed gaps in early learning, with a focus on early language and literacy.
Learning Brief 4: ECD Centres
This is the fourth in a series of learning briefs that explore the design, implementation and impact of the Yizani Sifunde intervention designed to boost early literacy outcomes in 4- and 5-year-olds.
This brief focuses on:
• the changes the project made possible in early childhood development (ECD) centres, related to resources, practitioner attitudes and teaching practices, centre management, and overall ECD quality;
• how durable these shifts were; and
• how these shifts contributed to young children’s development.
Learning Brief 5: Homes and Communities
This is the fifth in a series of learning briefs that explore the design, implementation and impact of the Yizani Sifunde intervention designed to boost early literacy outcomes in 4- and 5-year-olds.
This brief focuses on:
• the elements of the project that targeted the homes of the children, as well as some community stakeholders;
• the shifts that resulted for these groups; and
• how these legs of the intervention consolidated or extended the project’s impact on young children.
Yizani Sifunde: Consolidated executive summary
This document summarises the overall findings of an independent evaluation of the Yizani Sifunde intervention, including the qualitative and quantitative results.
Yizani Sifunde: Quantitative report
This report presents the quantitative findings of an independent evaluation of the Yizani Sifunde intervention.
Yizani Sifunde: Case study report
This report presents the findings of a case study that was conducted from August to September 2023 on six Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDs) in the Yizani Sifunde project.
Outcomes of the EWC Programme within the Yizani Sifunde collaboration (2021-2023)
This slide deck shows the findings from an internal evaluation on the outcomes of Yizani Sifunde EWC caregiver workshops offered by trained ECD practitioners (Eastern Cape, 2021-2023). It uses Home-Learning Environment data pre- and post-intervention to surface shifts in caregiver behaviour around reading, storytelling, etc.
